In emergency medical service applications, air-ambulances, such as helicopters, have been used for emergency transfer and treatment of patients. Often such service involves transporting multiple patients and patients requiring immediate attention and treatment.
Various methods have been employed to transport patients in a helicopter. For example, in various medical systems, the patient is placed on a stretcher or litter which is attached to the floor or a fixed bench within the helicopter. These systems have proved unsatisfactory in several respects. First, most of the medical systems have limited patient transport capabilities, i.e., for one patient only. Second, in order for the EMS attendants or paramedics to work on the patient, they must get down on the floor, creating an awkward working posture. Finally, the interior space is generally cramped and the attendants or paramedics in their crouched position generally take up more space than they would while sitting upright.
In order to alleviate the problems associated with the above referenced systems, several medical systems have been employed in helicopter interiors which place the patient(s) at a more comfortable level for the attendants or paramedics to work, as well as freeing up floor space within the emergency vehicle interior. These systems are still, however, quite limited in usefulness and suffer from other considerable drawbacks. For example, some helicopters and/or fixed wing aircraft merely employ a single litter rack system comprising single or multiple tiers of litter racks. Illustrative are the litter rack systems disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,483,025, 2,370,402, 2,473,364, 2,480,322 and 3,358,300.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a cabin architecture for the interior of an emergency medical vehicle, such as a helicopter, which employs three litter rack systems in a space efficient and highly effective manner.